Hinduism
Islam
Budhism
Sikhism
Jainism
Christianity
Zoroastrianism

General Information

Hinduism is India's indigenous religious and cultural system, followed today by nearly one billion adherents, mostly in India, but with large populations in many other countries. Ninety-eight percent of Hindus can be found on the Indian subcontinent, chiefly in India. It is noteworthy however that the relatively small Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is the only nation in the world with Hinduism as its state religion.

Hinduism also known as Sana-tana Dharma and Vaidika Dharma is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas, and is generally regarded as the oldest religion in the world. The term Hinduism is an amorphous concept as Hinduism consists of several schools of thought. It encompasses many religious rituals that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies.

With an array of deities, all manifestations of the one Supreme monistic Brahman, are venerated. Thus, Hinduism is often misconceived to be a polytheistic religion, although the belief in a singular, Universal Soul is a fundamental tenet of the Hindu faith. Beliefs, codes and principles vary from region to region.

Religion to the Hindu is the eternal search for the divine Brahman, the Supreme Immanent and Transcendent Reality or the Cosmic Spirit. Hinduism's aspiration is best expressed in the following mantra:

Of the total Hindu population of the world, about 94% (890 million) live in India. Significant numbers of Hindus reside in Bali, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, Guyana, Nepal, Mauritius, Suriname, Singapore and Trinidad and Tobago. In Nepal and Bali, Hinduism is the major religion, and is still reflected in the traditional culture and architecture. There are also sizeable Hindu populations in Sri Lanka (3 million), Pakistan (2.5 million), Malaysia (1.5 million), United States (1.5 million), South Africa (1.1 million) the Middle East (1 million) and the United Kingdom (1 million).